Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to apparatus and methods for supporting a semiconductor substrate during fabrication. More particularly, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatus and method for controlling the temperature of a heated substrate support.
Description of the Related Art
During manufacturing of semiconductor devices, a substrate is usually secured and supported by a substrate support in a processing chamber, where deposition, etching, thermal processing may be performed to the substrate. Substrates supports, such as electrostatic chucks, usually include embedded heater and attached to a cooling base to heat and control the temperature of the substrate during processing. Because processing uniformity is one of the constant goal for semiconductor processing, it is desirable to substrate supports that provide thermal uniformity.
Traditional cooling base for substrate supports use serial type of cooling path where cooling fluid flows through a cooling channel distributed at different regions of the cooling base. However, such serial type of cooling causes thermal non-uniformity in the substrate support, especially thermal azimuthal non-uniformity. Azimuthal thermal non-uniformity cannot be sufficiently compensated with hardware, such as adjustable heating element or secondary cooling.
Therefore, there is a need of apparatus and methods for improved temperature control of a substrate support.